Predicting Browns Starters vs. Bills for NFL Preseason Game 2

We know Shedeur Sanders will start at quarterback but, who will he play with?

Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) looks to pass the ball against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Browns are gearing up to go face to face with the Buffalo Bills for a joint practice on Thursday, one which will end up becoming a major factor for the team’s second preseason game. 

According to head coach Todd Monken, he and his counterpart Joe Brady have negotiated that, if both coaches “see out of our ones, our group, our older players, what we wanna see on Thursday, they would not play in the game. We agreed upon that.”

That means there’s a very good likelihood that only second- and third-stringers will get to see some action on Saturday at Huntington Bank Field.

With that in mind, here’s who could start for the Browns against the Bills, as they continue to work fine-tuning their game for the regular season:

Offense

Quarterback: Shedeur Sanders
Running Back: Dylan Sampson
Wide receivers: Isaiah Bond, Cedric Tillman, Tylan Wallace
Tight end: Blake Whiteheart
Right tackle: Austin Barber
Right guard: KT Leveston
Center: Luke Wypler
Left guard: Kinglsey Eguakun
Left Tackle: Dawand Jones

Sanders had been promised this start when Monken confirmed that both quarterbacks vying for the starting job, Sanders and Deshaun Watson, would start one of the two preseason games. For Watson, that happened last Saturday on the road in Chicago. And because of Monken’s arrangement with Brady, Sanders is now seemingly headed towards no preseason starts alongside the first unit.

The Browns did a lot of mixing things around with their offensive linemen on Tuesday, including Leveston at tackle and Barber at guard. However, I don’t expect to see the team attempt to try that out in a game situation, even if it’s just the preseason. Expect to see a lot from Jeremiah Byers again, too.

Defense

Defensive end: Isaiah McGuire
Defensive tackle: Adin Huntington
Defensive tackle: Travis Bell
Defensive end: Khordae Sydnor
Linebacker: Easton Mascarenas-Arnold
Linebacker: Winston Reid
Linebacker: Nathaniel Watson
Cornerback: Tre Avery
Cornerback: Nate Evans
Safety: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Safety: Christopher Edmonds

Cleveland is pretty thin at the defensive line, even as the front office is scrambling to add some veteran help. Any major injury within this unit could be troublesome in the short-term. Rookie linebacker Justin Jefferson and rookie cornerback Michael Coates Jr. should see a ton of playing, too. 

Special Teams

Punter: Nik Constantinou
Placekicker: Andre Szmyt
Long Snapper: Rex Sunahara

Constantinou will probably get the chance to unwind the leg, once again, but don’t rule out starter Corey Bojorquez coming in the game at some point. Szmyt will get a few kicks, as well.